6th Battalion, Border Regiment

   6th (Service) Battalion, The Border Regiment was raised in Carlisle in August 1914 as part of Kitcheners First New Army, joined 33rd Brigade in 11th (Northern) Division. The 6th Battalion trained at Belton Park, Grantham then moved to Frensham in April 1915. They sailed for Gallipoli from Liverpool on the 1st of July 1915, they landed near Lala Baba at Suvla Bay on the 6th and 7th of August. They saw action until they were withdrawn to Imbros on the 19th of December 1915 and were evacuted to Egypt January 1916 they were evacuated to Egypt and took over the defence of a section of the Suez Canal. In mid June 1916 orders were received for a to France, and they sailed from Alexandria on the 3rd of July. The Division went into the front line on the Somme on the 27th of July 1916 and were in action at Flers-Courcelette and Thiepval. In 1917 they saw action on the Ancre and then moved to Flanders were they took part in the Battle of Messines. They were in action throughout the Battle of Paschendaele and in 1918 were in action during the Second Battle of Arras and the Battle of the Hindenburgh Line. The 6th Battalion was on the high ground east of Havay at the Armistice and were disbanded at Mazingarbe in France on the 9th of February 1918.

16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme

1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets

11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment

10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens

9th February 1916 Call Ups

6th April 1916 Troop movements

2nd Jun 1916 Heavy Shelling

3rd Jun 1916 Reinforcements

26th September 1916 Diary

27th September 1916 Diary

29th September 1916 Reliefs

17th December 1916 Reliefs

25th December 1916 Relieved from trenches

1st January 1917 Ongoing Action  6th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment
This page from the war diaries covers the period from 1st January 1917 to the 21st January 1917 inclusive. The overall image is very faint and the right hand side of the page totally unreadable. So the extracts are based on a combination of visible fragment and some guesswork.
1st Jan. 1917 - Battalion in Thievres.
2nd Jan. - Battalion leaves billets and marches to trenches in front of Thiepval to relieve 6th Battalion Border Regiment. No casualties in either Battalion happened during relief.
3rd Jan. - Artillery on both sides very active. First post captured 6 Germans -------- unreadable ---- who had taken 2 men of the Gloucesters --- prisoner.
4th Jan. - Weather again bad. Artillery very quiet.
5th Jan. - Weather still very bad. Situation normal. Great activity by enemy aircraft.
6th Jan. - Great activity by our aircraft. 15 minute barrage at night by our artillery.
7th Jan. - Our aircraft again very busy ---- unreadable.
8th Jan. - ----- No 5 ---- one German stretcher bearer --- unreadable ---- Raining during the night.
9th Jan. Very heavy shelling by enemy artillery continuing --- unreadable
10th Jan. - Battalion relieved by the 6th Battalion Border Regiment ----- unreadable ---- 1 Officer seriously wounded. 1 Stretcher bearer killed.
11th Jan. - In Billets. Fine sharp morning. Marched to ---- unreadable ---
12th Jan. - In Billets. Heavy rain during the night. ---- unreadable ---
13th Jan. - In Billets. ----- unreadable ------
14th Jan. - In Billets. ----- unreadable ------
15th Jan. - Thiepval ---- unreadable
16th Jan. - In Billets. ----- unreadable ------
17th Jan. - In Billets. Very heavy fall of snow during the night --- unreadable.
18th Jan. - In Billets. ----- unreadable ------
19th Jan. - In Billets. ----- unreadable ------

war diaries

23rd April 1917 Reliefs

1st June 1917 Training and inspections  6th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment
Diary page is very faint and difficult to read. Due to this, a report of events during the Battle of Messines, is entered in a separate page on the 30th June 1917, which helps to clarify events.
1st Jun. 1917 - Battalion in training. Demonstration of physical training by Captain Kelso(?) Army Gymnastic Staff on grounds of the Border Regiment.
2nd Jun. - Battalion training. Battalion in attack.
3rd Jun. - Church Parade Service. Clothing inspection by second in command. Sport during afternoon.
4th Jun. - Battalion and Brigade rehearsal of Brigade scheme took place in the afternoon followed by conference.
5th Jun. - Battalion training conference during day. Retiring by sections practiced by company commanders. Front lines reconnoitered by company commanders. Brigade interactions rehearsed by officers as general guide lines for coming attack. (Best interpretation of difficult section)
6th Jun. - Battalion moved to Butterfly Farm for operations in the Brigade area on high ground. At 1130 attack from Messines and Wytschaede Ridge commenced preceded by heavy bombardment. Battalion awaiting orders at Butterfly Farm hadn't moved forward by 1130. (again best interpretation)
7th - 9th Jun. - A restricted report of events during the operations (unreadable) narrative ------ on other operations.
10th Jun. - Battalion ------ by 3rd Brigade
11th Jun. - Battalion ----- (unreadable)
12th-13th Jun. - Battalion ----- (unreadable)
14th Jun. - Battalion employed on ----- work. Kit ----
15th Jun. - Company Commanders ----- (unreadable)
16th Jun. - Battalion road marches.
17th/24th Jun. - Battalion in the reserve. Arrived in Tipgues(?) Area in the afternoon at 1400. -----(unreadable)
25th Jun. - Battalion commenced training. Order for reconnoitering by company commanders.
26th/27th Jun. - Intensive Training
28th Jun. - Intensive training. Battalion in the attack. 1730 demonstration by Infantry school of musketry.
29th Jun. - Marching in open order in the attack. All officers attended training with second in command.
30th Jun. - Disruption to training. Heavy mist all day.
A separate report on the 30th June is very enlightening and confirms that the war diaries were completed in pencil and are almost illegible through the passage of time.
war diaries

30th June 1917 Battle of Messines

16th Jul 1917 Reliefs

26th July 1917 Trench activity

27th Sep 1917 Instructions

29th Sep 1917 Instructions

3rd Oct 1917 Orders

3rd Oct 1917 Instructions

3rd Oct 1917 Instructions

3rd Oct 1917 Instructions

3rd Oct 1917 Instructions

5th Oct 1917 Reliefs

3rd of January 1918 Location of Divisional Units

13th of January 1918 More Snow - More Training

21st of January 1918 Reliefs

24th of January 1918 Artillery Very Quiet

25th of January 1918 MG Fire All Night

28th of January 1918 Enemy Aircraft Brought Down

29th of January 1918 Enemy Sniping

3rd of February 1918 Dugout Attacked

6th of February 1918 Old Boots Trench Shelled

9th Feb 1918 Reorganisation

2nd of March 1918 Heavy Gas Shelling

7th of April 1918 A Relief Ordered

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There are:5269 items tagged 6th Battalion, Border Regiment available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Those known to have served with
6th Battalion, Border Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Apps Victor George. Pte. (d.29th September 1916)
Armstrong Alfred. Pte.
Bentley Joseph Henry. L/Cpl. (d.7th Jun 1917)
Butterworth Enoch. Pte. (d.13th Jul 1917)
Charlton Thomas William. A/Cpl (d.26th September 1916)
Davidson George. Pte. (d.7th June 1917)
Fulton Adam. Capt.
Gillett John Robert. Pte. (d.9th Aug 1915)
Greenan DCM. James. Sergeant (d.7th Jun 1917)
Hawkins Geroge Benjamin. Pte. (d.29th Sep 1916)
Heap Robert Robinson. Cpl. (d.7th Jun 1917)
Morris James William. Pte. (d.2nd Oct 1916)
Ridley Abraham. Pte. (d.7th Aug 1915)
Routledge John. (d.9th Aug 1915)
Sim John. Pte. (d.7th Jun 1917)
Skinner Thomas. Pte. (d.14th Aug 1915)
Vineall John. Pte. (d.17th Oct 1916)
Walker John. Pte. (d.10th Jun 1917)
Walker John. Pte. (d.20th June 1917)
Wallace David. Cpl. (d.9th Aug 1915)
Wilson Edward. Pte. (d.9th August 1915)

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Records of 6th Battalion, Border Regiment from other sources.

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Capt. Adam Fulton 2nd Btn. Border Regiment

Adam Fulton served with the 6th & 2nd Battalions, Border Regiment.
Hugh Fulton

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Pte. Abraham Ridley 6th Btn. Border Regiment (d.7th Aug 1915)

Abraham Ridley died on the 7th August 1915, aged 20 and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey. He was the son of John and Sarah Ridley, of Helton, Penrith.
s flynn

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Pte. James William Morris 6th Battalion Border Regiment (d.2nd Oct 1916)

James Morris was my great uncle on my grandmother's side of the family. He died of his injuries at the Battle of the Somme on 2nd of October 1916 aged 22 or 23.

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Pte. John Walker 33rd Coy. Machine Gun Corps (d.20th June 1917)

John Walker served with the 6th Border Regiment. He was wounded in the lower legs on the 14th of August 1915 whilst in the Dardanelles He was wounded on the 17th of August 1915 with a shoulder wound, he was sent to Gallipoli. On the 31st of October he returned to Sulva Bay, John was appointed paid Lc/Cpl. at Sidi Bishr on the 4th of February 1916 and transferred to 33rd Machine Gun Coy on the 11th of March 1916 at Ballah He departed from Alexandria on H.T. Minnewaska on 28th of June 1916, arriving at Marseilles on the 8th of July. He was promoted to Corporal on the 29th of October 1916 and promoted to Lance Sergent in the field on the 2nd of December 1916. On the 27th of January 1917 he was appointed Acting Sergent and then returned to being a Lance Sergent on completion of estblishment on the 31st of March 1917. John was on a course at the Dist Gas School from the 1st to 4th of April 1917. he was reduced to the ranks on the 12th. He died on the 10th of June 1917 during the Battle of Messines and is remembered on the Menin Gate memorial.
John

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Pte. John Walker 33rd Coy. Machine Gun Corps (d.10th Jun 1917)

John Walker enlisted with the 6th Battalion, Border Regiment on the 27th of August 1914 at Hennington. He embarked from Liverpool on 1st July 1915 for Gallipoli and landed at Suvla Bay. He was wounded in lower extremities in the Dandelles on the 14th August 1915. On the 17th August 1915 he was reported as having suffered a gun shot wound right shoulder and was transferred for rehab at Citadel, Cairo, Egypt. John was appointed Lance Corporal 3rd March 1916 at Sidi Bashr and transferred to 33rd Coy Machine Gun Corps, 33rd Brigade, 11th Division at Ballah, his new Service Number being 39238.
He departed to join the BEF onboard HMT Minnewaska from Alexandria on the 28th of June 1916 and disembarked at Marseilles on 8th of July 1916. He was promoted to Corporal on 28th October 1916 and paid Lance Sergeant from 2nd December 1916. He was promoted to Acting Sergeant on 27th January 1917 in the field. From the 1st to 4th of April 1917 he attended the Divisional Gas School Course. John was demoted to Private on 12th April 1917 due to drunkenness in the billet at 0845 hrs. He was killed in action on the 10th of June 1917.
John

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Pte. Thomas Skinner 6th Btn. Border Regiment (d.14th Aug 1915)

Thomas Skinner served with the 6th Battalion, the Border Regiment during WW1 and died on the 14th August 1915, aged 22. He is buried in the East Mudros Military Cemetery on the island of Lemnos in Greece.
S Flynn

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Sergeant James Greenan DCM. 6th Btn. Border Regiment (d.7th Jun 1917)

James Greenan was a Great Uncle of mine. Said to have been previously injured in a "gas attack" but returned to his unit and was killed in action 7th June 1917. I have to assume it was in the action at Messines. I have tried to find evidence of his war grave but there seems to be no record of this. It has been said he was shot through the heart. There is a silk embroidered postcard in our familys possession which was reported to have been in his breast pocket when he was shot. The postcard does have a damaged edge.
Jim Mc Donald

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John Routledge 6th Btn. Border Regiment (d.9th Aug 1915)

My Great Great Uncle, John Routledge, No. 5100, was a soldier of the 6th Battalion, The Border Regiment, and was killed in action, at Gallipoli, on the 9th August, 1915.
Rev. P J Sanderson

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Pte. Enoch Butterworth 6th Btn. Border Regiment (d.13th Jul 1917)

My grandfather thinks his brother, Enoch Butterworth, was killed or wounded while playing in a military band in the centre of Ypers. A shell apprently landed in the middle of the group causing terrible damage. He is buried with seven others of the 6th at Belgian Battery corner cemetry, Ypers.
Alan Butterworth

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Those known to have served with
6th Battalion, Border Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.

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The Wartime Memories Project - 6th Battalion, Border Regiment during the Great War -

6th Battalion, Border Regiment

Want to know more about 6th Battalion, Border Regiment?

Those known to have served with6th Battalion, Border Regimentduring the Great War 1914-1918.

Can you help?

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- 6th Battalion, Border Regiment during the Great War -

Those known to have served with
6th Battalion, Border Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.